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When carving a Jack-O-Lantern or cooking a pie pumpkin, roasted pumpkin seeds are an extra bonus snack! Here’s how to roast pumpkin seeds, so they turn out perfectly crispy every time.
Pumpkin seeds are notorious for being large and chewy, so they will not be as tender as pepitas you might buy at the store. (Pepitas = hulled pumpkin seeds.)
However, when you roast them, they become pretty crispy and smell nutty, almost like a bowl of popcorn. It’s the perfect way to use up all the seeds you’ll scoop from carving pumpkins for Halloween.
Roasting other squash seeds
If you’re curious about roasted seeds from other squash varieties, like butternut, acorn, or spaghetti squash, check out my Roasted Squash Seeds tutorial.
How to Roast Pumpkin Seeds
- Make sure the pumpkin seeds are clean and dry.
Remove the seeds from the pumpkin and place them in a fine mesh strainer or colander. Rinse them under running water, shaking often, to remove their slimy exterior.
Any extra pumpkin pulp should be easy to grab and remove as you rinse.
Lay the rinsed pumpkin seeds on a dry towel and pat them dry. The drier the pumpkin seeds are, the crispier they will get! If you plan on carving a pumpkin, go ahead and do that while the seeds lay out on the towel– the longer they dry, the better.
Detoxinista Tip
If you want to dry the seeds quickly, arrange them on an unlined baking sheet and place them in the oven to warm up for 3 to 5 minutes at 350ºF. That brief oven time should help any extra moisture evaporate fast.
- Add the Seasoning.
Transfer the dry seeds to a bowl and toss them with olive oil, salt, garlic powder, and paprika, if using. Add granulated sugar for even more flavor; see the recipe notes for other spice ideas.
Stir well to coat the seeds, then arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. (Parchment isn’t necessary if you’re not using a sweetener, but it does make clean-up easy.)
The seeds will want to stick together in clumps but try to spread them out as much as possible. The more separated they are, the crispier they will get.
- Roast until crispy!
Roast the pumpkin seeds at 350ºF for 10 minutes, then remove the pan and stir the seeds to ensure they roast evenly.
Then return the pan to the oven and bake for 5 to 8 more minutes, if needed. Watch the pan closely, as the spices could darken quickly. (FYI, if you season pumpkin seeds with only salt and olive oil, they will not be as likely to burn.)
Once the seeds are lightly golden, remove the pan from the oven. They will become even crispier as they cool.
Serve right away or save them as a topping for soups and salads.
Looking for more pumpkin recipes? Try Pumpkin Mug Cake, Crustless Pumpkin Pie, or a homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte.
Ingredients
- ¾ cup raw pumpkin seeds (see notes)
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon paprika (optional)
- 1 to 2 tablespoons coconut sugar (optional)
Instructions
- Place the pumpkin seeds in a fine mesh strainer and rinse under running water. Pick out any pumpkin pulp that might be stuck to them. For best results, you want the seeds to be very clean, but you can pick off any remaining pulp when you dry them.
- Transfer the seeds to a towel and pat well to dry. Once the seeds are dry, preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- Pour the dry seeds into a bowl and toss with the olive oil, garlic powder, and salt. I usually use ½ teaspoon of salt for these (because I like salt!), but 1/4 teaspoon is sufficient if you're looking for a mildly salty snack. You can add the optional paprika and coconut sugar if you want a more flavorful snack that tastes like Chex Mix.
- Spread the seeds out into a single layer on the pan. They will tend to clump together, but do your best to separate them so they will get as crispy as possible. Roast at 350ºF for 10 minutes.
- When the timer goes off, remove the pan from the oven and use a spatula to stir the seeds, to help them crisp-up evenly. Return the pan to the oven, to bake for another 5 to 8 minutes. Watch closely towards the end of the cooking time, to make sure the seeds don't get too dark.
- When the seeds smell nutty (almost like popcorn), remove them from the oven and cool. They will continue to crisp up as they cool down. Enjoy as a crunchy snack or as a topping for salads and soup.
- Leftover roasted pumpkin seeds can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Notes
Nutrition
If you try this roasted pumpkin seed recipe, please leave a comment and star rating below letting me know how you like it.
Thank you for the recipe. I followed your recipe but spiced mine up with Salt, Pepper, tumeric, and paprika. Very nice!
I’m wondering if you can use bagged raw pumpkin seeds for this recipe?
Leslie – that’s what I use; a lot simpler than scraping them out of a pumpkin, and less waste.
roasted pumpkin seeds are an extra bonus snack! yeah man it`s i love to eat pumpkin seeds,
your website and your blog both are best.thanks to you
I just tried the recipe as it is written. It is delicious and perfectly crispy. Thanks Megan!
These roasted pumpkin seeds are perfection! I followed the recipe exactly as written, and they are delicious. I’m going to use them as “croutons” on salads this week, if I can stop snacking on them out of the bowl!
These came out soo good! Perfectly crispy and delicious! Definitely using this recipe from now on. Thank you! I can’t stop snacking on them… At this rated I’ll have to make more for the rest of the family to enjoy tomorrow!